The Phoenix Suns won eight of their first nine and looked like serious contenders before injuries to Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal derailed them. They went on to lose six of seven, but are finally getting their stars back. Their slump had fans questioning Mike Budenholzer and dreaming of ways to fix the Suns.
Phoenix is over the second tax apron and faces significant limitations on improving their roster. They cannot aggregate salaries or take back more money in a trade. The Suns could make a move on the margins but are virtually stuck with this roster.
Coach Bud must get the rotations right and maximize this group. Phoenix has the top-end talent to compete with the best but needs their role players to step up. These four players have received too much playing time in the early going and should see their minutes scaled back as the postseason nears.
4. Josh Okogie
He missed the first five games with a hamstring injury and did not see the floor in the first three where he was active. Okogie finally got a chance on Nov. 8 and has not missed a contest since. The 6’4 wing averages 19.3 minutes per game and his numbers look impressive. Okogie is scoring 10.1 points and shooting 50 percent from 3-point range.
It won’t last. The 26-year-old is a career 29.8 percent shooter from long range and played under ten minutes per game in last season’s playoffs. The Suns have a negative 11.1 net rating with Okogie on the floor this year, which is the worst on the team.
Josh Okogie cannot be part of the Suns playoff rotation. His inability to shoot makes it impossible to win his minutes when the games matter most. He should be a stopgap option for Phoenix when dealing with injuries.
3. Mason Plumlee
The Suns signed Plumlee to give them depth at the five. He is on his seventh different franchise, but the 34-year-old remains a strong rebounder and finisher around the rim. Plumlee averaged 4.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 17.6 minutes per through 15 games, but he is not a playoff answer.
The Suns have a 119.1 defensive rating with Plumlee on the floor. Washington allows 118.8 points per 100 possessions and sits 30th in the NBA for the season. Phoenix would have the worst defense in the league if they played all their minutes with the 6’10 big man on the floor.
The Suns cannot win with offense only. They must get stops in the playoffs. Plumee’s defense and rim protection have slipped with age. He is below average on that end of the floor and cannot be relied upon for more than a handful of minutes in a playoff contest.
2. Ryan Dunn
The rookie has been inconsistent. He was shooting 39.4 percent from 3-point range during the team’s first eight games, but his production has dropped off mightily with Durant and Beal on the sidelines. Fans should not be shocked. He is a role player reliant on others to create shots. The gravity of star talent certainly creates more space.
Dunn was arguably the best perimeter defender in this draft class. Fans have already seen his defense be impactful. The 21-year-old needs more consistency on both ends, but there is plenty to be excited about.
Relying on a rookie with shooting questions in the playoffs is a recipe for disaster. Teams will leave Dunn open and things could quickly turn ugly if the jumpers are not falling. If that impacts his defense, Phoenix could have a massive problem on their hands. Ryan Dunn is not ready for those moments, but the Suns should keep giving him regular season playing time to work on his game.
1. Jusuf Nurkic
The Suns starting center and fourth-highest-paid player has been disastrous to start this season. He averages 8.9 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 0.6 blocks in 24.4 minutes per game. Those numbers are all down from last year as Nurkic is shooting 40.4 percent from the field and 30.2 percent on his 3-point attempts. The Suns have a negative-5.3 net rating with Nurkic on the floor as he has produced a negative-0.3 value over replacement player (VORP).
Phoenix has no better option at the five. The Suns cannot go small for 48 minutes every night. Mason Plumlee has struggled and rookie Oso Ighodaro is not ready for starters minutes. The front office must trade for an upgrade or figure out how to get Nurkic back on track.
The Phoenix Suns have work to do on their rotations. Durant, Devin Booker, Beal, and Tyus Jones are locked in as key cogs. Greyson Allen and Royce O’Neale will play important roles off the bench, but who starts at the five, and which players fill the remaining minutes? The Suns must figure it out, but they already have answers on who to play less. It is all on coach Bud to pull the right strings.
